Collection using Cloud-Native Tools

The Collection phase of the Cloud Threat Intelligence Lifecycle focuses on gathering data from various sources to identify potential threats, vulnerabilities, and incidents within an organization's cloud environment. Cloud-native tools provided by major cloud service providers (CSPs) play a crucial role in this phase, enabling organizations to capture, store, and analyze vast amounts of security-relevant data.

1. AWS CloudTrail, VPC Flow Logs, and Config

   • AWS CloudTrail: Captures API activity and user actions across an AWS environment, providing a comprehensive audit trail for security analysis and threat hunting

   • VPC Flow Logs: Collect network traffic metadata from virtual private clouds (VPCs), enabling the identification of anomalous network activities and potential security threats

   • AWS Config: Records and evaluates the configuration changes of AWS resources, helping to identify misconfigurations, policy violations, and potential attack vectors

2. GCP Cloud Audit Logs and Cloud Asset Inventory

   • Cloud Audit Logs: Provide a detailed record of administrative activities and API calls made within a GCP environment, enabling the detection of unauthorized access and suspicious actions

   • Cloud Asset Inventory: Offers a centralized view of all GCP resources, including their configurations and relationships, facilitating the identification of misconfigurations and potential security risks

3. Azure Monitor and Azure Network Watcher

   • Azure Monitor: Collects and analyzes logs, metrics, and other telemetry data from Azure resources, providing insights into security events, anomalies, and potential threats

   • Azure Network Watcher: Monitors and diagnoses network issues, captures network packet data, and enables the identification of suspicious network activities and potential security breaches

Best Practices for Data Collection using Cloud-Native Tools:

• Enable and configure logging and monitoring services across all critical cloud resources and services

• Establish a centralized log management and analysis platform to correlate and analyze data from multiple sources

• Implement strong access controls and encryption for collected data to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information

• Regularly review and update data collection policies and procedures to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and organizational requirements

• Integrate cloud-native tools with other security solutions, such as SIEM, UEBA, and threat intelligence platforms, to enrich and contextualize the collected data

Example Scenario: A healthcare provider uses AWS to host its patient management system and telemedicine platform. To collect relevant security data, the organization:

• Enables AWS CloudTrail to log all API activities and user actions across its AWS accounts

• Configures VPC Flow Logs to capture network traffic metadata from its VPCs

• Uses AWS Config to monitor and record configuration changes to its EC2 instances, S3 buckets, and IAM policies

• Integrates the collected data with its SIEM solution to correlate events, detect anomalies, and investigate potential security incidents

By leveraging cloud-native tools for data collection, the healthcare provider gains comprehensive visibility into its AWS environment, enabling the timely identification and response to potential security threats.

The data collected using cloud-native tools serves as the foundation for the subsequent phases of the Cloud Threat Intelligence Lifecycle, where it is processed, analyzed, and transformed into actionable intelligence to inform security decisions and mitigate risks.